Norwich and Fenland among areas to get extra funding to boost education
Up to £42 million is going to be allocated
Last updated 28th Mar 2023
Children in disadvantaged areas are set to benefit from stronger schools and increased local investment, as the Government steps up delivery of the commitments made in last year’s Schools White Paper.
Up to £42m will be allocated to Priority Education Investment Areas (PEIAs) - 24 areas of the country with high levels of disadvantaged pupils and low educational attainment, including Norwich and Fenland, which includes places like Wisbech.
The Local Needs Fund will be used to fund schools to access evidenced based programmes that will help boost pupils' literacy, numeracy, and attendance.
The Priority Education Investment Areas boosts education in cold spots round the country through a package of measures including retaining good teachers in the areas, tackling attendance and moving struggling schools into strong multi-academy trusts.
Academies are at the heart of these reforms and the best academy trusts transform outcomes for pupils, particularly in disadvantaged areas, where poor performance has become entrenched.
Where are the 24 priority areas?
Blackpool - £986,000
Bradford - £1,834,000
Derby - £1,276,000
Doncaster - £1,431,000
Fenland and East Cambridgeshire - £1,147,000
Halton - £1,852,000
Hartlepool - £1,425,000
Hastings - £884,000
Ipswich - £1,008,000
Knowsley - £1,834,000
Liverpool - £3,700,000
Middlesborough - £1,763,000
Norwich - £1,002,000
Nottingham - £2,598,000
Oldham - £1,319,000
Portsmouth - £1,834,000
Rochdale - £2,296,000
Salford - £2,510,000
Sandwell - £2,918,000
Scarborough - £1,034,000
Stoke-on-Trent - £1,233,000
Tameside - £2,492,000
Walsall - £2,776,000
West Somerset - £847,000
The Government is also publishing the Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review LINK, which sets out a framework for growing the impact of the academies system, so parents and carers can be confident that their child will receive a high-quality education wherever they live.
The Review proposes cutting down on administrative bureaucracy, enabling trusts to focus on quality, greater public transparency around the process by which schools are placed with academy trusts, and support for the sector to spread expertise and increase overall capacity to keep improving schools.
Schools Systems Minister Baroness Barran is due to be in Nottingham today (Tuesday 28th March), one of the PEIAs that are set to benefit from additional funding and support.
Minister Baroness Barran said: “We know the best multi academy trusts deliver a great education and results for pupils, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with Special Education Needs or Disabilities.
“They help teachers manage workload and create career opportunities by working as a family of schools. They spread their impact beyond their schools to the wider education system through initiatives like teaching school hubs, sharing a curriculum, and optimising the use of resources so that they can reinvest in their pupils.
“We are delighted with this package which will scale up the impact of high-quality multi academy trusts and support the most disadvantaged pupils in the country, levelling up opportunities for all.
“We are grateful for the vital engagement of our External Advisory Group (EAG) and wider stakeholder network for helping to shape this report. We hope to work with them closely on implementation.
“To all the pupils I have met in the past 18 months, who have shared with me their hopes and aspirations for the future - we have written this, and will deliver it, with you in mind.”
Leora Cruddas CBE, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts and member of the regulatory and commissioning review external advisory group said: “We welcome the focus in the Regulatory and Commissioning Review report on simple, proportionate risk-based regulation, making better and more transparent commissioning decisions, and support which spreads sector expertise and increases overall capacity to keep improving schools.
"It is right that the report focuses on near-term and medium-term actions to improve regulation and commissioning activity.
“It is important that the government recognises there is no one size fits all model, and that there is a stated commitment to foster a diversity of models and scales of trust, including those with faith schools, special schools and alternative provision.
"We believe it is essential that the government protects the freedoms that have enabled the success of our trust system, avoiding changes that would prescribe specific, rigid behaviour and inhibit effective leadership. System diversity and freedoms must be protected through these reforms.
“The Review rightly recognises that implementing these changes well is not straightforward, particularly as many trusts and their communities face ongoing challenges from cost-of-living pressures and the lasting impacts of the Covid pandemic.
“We are particularly pleased to see the report welcome the Confederation of School Trust’s inquiry into effective improvement practice.
“In relation to inspection, it is important that we work together to consider the impacts of the accountability system and move towards a system that if focused on building relational trust - one which can respond to context and navigate uncertainty. We will continue to work with Ofsted and government to build intelligent systems of accountability.”